


Books For Free, Really!

by retipuj



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Books, Bookstores, M/M, Post-Break Up, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-23
Updated: 2014-11-23
Packaged: 2018-02-26 19:06:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2662979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/retipuj/pseuds/retipuj
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Turning the last page, he found a scrap of paper, telling him to call if he liked the story. They weren’t the writer, no, but they liked it a great deal and wanted to speak about it. “I don’t have any friends to gush over good romance novels with, can you be mine?” the note read. </p><p>Snorting, he found his new cell -with a new number, Jace broke his old card in half! - and dared to text the guy (was he a guy? Did girls like gay characters? Perhaps they did, Isabelle liked gay guys a deal after all.)</p><p>Being brave to strangers was something new he was working on. After Magnus. Kissing him was the bravest thing he had done and it made him earn Magnus. Maybe one another would draw him something else, something more serious, something that would heal the void.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Books For Free, Really!

_“Books for free! Really!”_ the sign read. Something free in New York was very rare to see, which made the dark haired boy take a step back. 

They really looked free and already not a lot of books were left, so Alec moved a slight bit nearer to inspect more of the situation. 

More or less of them were biographies (who would buy to read someone else’s real life, seriously) and most of them were cheap romance novels. Particularly one of them by its cover was not suited for reading hours with your parents, that was for certain. 

He wasn’t particularly keen on reading someone else’s story, but nowadays he didn’t do anything other than waiting and thinking about what ifs. Also, they were free. No harm, no foul. 

Randomly picking one of the books, Alec didn’t think no more and kept up his quick pace towards the Institute. 

-

He didn’t expect to like the book. He thought he’d read a few pages and that would be it. Nevertheless, he found himself closer to the back cover minute by minute. Who knew he’d like cheap gay romance books? Maybe Magnus would. 

Turning the last page, knowing that at least those two men would make it, he found a scrap of paper, telling him to call if he liked the story. They weren’t the writer, no, but they liked it a great deal and wanted to speak about it. “ _I don’t have any friends to gush over good romance novels with, can you be mine?”_ the note read. 

Snorting, he found his new cell -with a new number, Jace broke his old card in half! - and dared to text the guy (was he a guy? Did girls like gay characters? Perhaps they did, Isabelle liked gay guys a deal after all.)

Being brave to strangers was something new he was working on. After Magnus. Kissing him was the bravest thing he had done and it made him earn Magnus. Maybe one another would draw him something else, something more serious, something that would heal the void. 

“ _Hey!”_ said the reply. “ _So you’ve read the book? Did you like it? I did it back then, but I now don’t believe in love that much, can you fix that for me?”_

So many exclamation points already. 

“Yes, I read it and I liked it. I’m not sure if I can make you believe in love though, I’m sort of fallen apart too.”

His (his?) reply was equally fast as lightning. Maybe he was simply bored. Or without a job. 

_“Another broken heart then. Tell me gorgeous, who broke your heart?”_  
  
Sighing, Alec thought of blocking the number, but what did it matter anymore? 

“A gorgeous man did. But it was my fault, so it’s okay.”  
“ _It’s never okay to break a heart, darling. Trust me I would know. I’ve recently broken a heart.”_  
“Are you going to fix it?”  
_“Are you?”_  
  
Laughing under his breath, he replied with a single ‘ _no_.’ He couldn’t fix it, how could he?

 _“Why?”  
_ “Because I know when something is not fixable anymore. I’ve done more damage than I could fix, so I’m accepting it. Why aren’t you trying to fix your problem?”

Not a fast reply this time. 

_“I broke his heart deliberately. And if I take it back, we’d take a very big step back.”_  
“To happiness?”  
_“Perhaps. Only it wouldn’t last. I’m something forever, darling.”_

Reading the text again and again, Alec thought that maybe everyone in love thought they were forever. Certainly he didn’t draw hearts in his notebook with names, but he also thought they could last something long. 

He decided not to send a text again. 

-

Of course he sent a text again. 

Many texts, actually. They set off slow but it worked into a solid friendship in no time. They texted in the break of the day, in the evening, in the dark. They talked about random things, talked about heartbreaks and dreams. He (Alec liked to think of him as a he) told him about his adventures from his travels, Alec told him about his adventures like they were his story ideas. He believed him, thought of him as an aspiring author. Or something, he didn’t ask. 

Having someone else in his pocket was a selfish thing to do but it helped a lot. He didn’t know who Alec was, he didn’t know who _Magnus_ was, he didn’t know any hunter business at all. He talked about mundane things, like there was a world away there for Alec to call someday. 

Maybe he would, one day. 

-

“Do you have a new boyfriend or something?” Jace asked one day. “You’re glued to that phone. Is that _Magnus_? Alec, don’t make me break another phone, honestly.”

“It’s just a random guy, Jace.”

Perking up at that, Jace asked him if he was into dating apps then but seeing his face, he decided that he was not _apping_ -or whatever that is he said. 

“It’s just a book club. We read the same book and talked about it. Now we are going to read another.”

Muttering the magic word, Alec lost his interest and tried not to smile. Mystery guy was his. 

-

Mystery guy was not dangerous up until he sent a text saying “ _Please, please come get me, I can’t get out of here and I’m stuck and I know no one else!!!_ ” with a shared location. 

Alec tried to call him, but couldn’t reach him. Knowing that it could be either true or false, he couldn’t decide what to do until he checked the location and decided that it was as safe as it could get, then he took off. 

Expecting a fight or an accident, finding a bookshop was kind of a downfall. Entering the shop, he surveyed his roundabouts but nothing was out of the ordinary.

Until he walked into the romance section and came face to face with Magnus. 

The tall man looked as surprised as him, but he recovered quickly. “Alec.” He stated with that voice he knew so well. “How are you?”

Even though he was feeling cold all over, Alec told him he was fine and looking for a friend. 

“That’s nice darling, you should have more friends.” Magnus nodded and maneuvered around him. “I was expecting someone too. See you around, yes?” 

Watching him leave like he was running away from a fire, Alec resisted sagging his shoulder and turned around, pulling his cell out. While he was typing to ask where was he, his guy sent a new text asking whether he was coming or not. 

“I’m already here, where are you?” Alec asked. There weren’t many people in the shop, save a couple here and there, a teenage girl and an old lady trying to walk with her stick. Was his guy the old lady? Probably. His guy had a wisdom only old people could deliver. 

When his cell vibrated again, Alec read a new text saying that he was under the calendar section which was around the corner of the shop. 

Heart in his throat, Alec started to walk. Magnus must have left the shop and he was alone in this building with a person he didn’t know. 

Unless he _did_ know. 

Magnus was under the ‘CALENDARS’ sign, typing something on his phone. When he pulled it down, Alec’s phone vibrated in his hand and Magnus raised his head. 

It was him. 

“It is you.”

Magnus laughed a little and bit his lip. “It figures.” he muttered, “it really figures. Just my luck.”

“ _Your_ luck? I didn’t ask for this, _you_ left your number in a book! And who does that, Magnus? Are you asking for trouble?” Alec was getting angry, he wanted to pick a fight even though he knew he shouldn’t. 

“Why did you text me in the first place?” Magnus asked, but Alec’s answer was quick. He was a stranger! And how many numbers did he have after all? He didn’t know that number!

“I have a lot of numbers darling, I’m an old soul, remember?” Magnus replied bitterly and cut the argument in half. Right where it started, back in a whiff. 

Sighing, Alec took a step back and asked what was the emergency. “Why can’t you leave? Or was it flirting too?”

Magnus pointed out the windows, saying that it was an old building and once he entered it, he couldn’t leave without someone letting him out. 

“I can leave on my own but I didn’t want to destroy the shop. It’s a sweet one. Can you let me out?”

Nodding, Alec asked him if he wanted to purchase anything and when Magnus showed him a calendar with cats on it, Alec rolled his eyes. After Magnus paid for it, it was time for Alec to literally hold his hand and pull him out into the street. 

Once it was done, Alec noticed that Magnus didn’t let go of his hand. They were kind of stalling in the street and Alec was very, very scared of hoping. But there they were. 

When he dared to look at him, Alec found Magnus watching him. “What now?” he asked. “Do you need anything else?”

Laughing a little, Magnus said he needed a lot of things and found his eyes again. Deciding that this was going to be painful, Alec braved himself for the downfall and tried to pry his hand apart, but when Magnus didn’t let him, Alec stalled. 

His resistance pulled Alec closer to Magnus and looking into his cat eyes, Alec asked what he was doing. 

“Everything you told me about that man, Alec... Was it me? It was me, wasn’t it?”

Closing his eyes, Alec wasn’t sure if he deserved this type of punishment after all he went through but nodded nonetheless. He deserved to know. Always. 

“Yes. It was you and no, I’m still not over you. So you can let go of my hand and we’ll go our separate ways, yes?”

Instead of doing what he was told, Magnus smiled a bit. “My brave angel.” he muttered. If Alec didn’t know any better, he could have sworn that was craving in his eyes. Yet he _had known_ better so he looked right back at it and stood tall. 

“Not brave, accepting.” Accepting of what has happened, he once told in his messages. He couldn’t change what happened. 

Magnus was still watching him and it was getting on his nerves. This time he pried his hand apart and nodding to him, started to walk away. It wasn’t long that his cell vibrated, notifying him of a new text. 

_“I want to start a new book, any advice?”_  
  
Smiling a little, Alec hit ‘ _reply_.’

“Yes.”


End file.
